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'Reaping the benefits': Myrick, Mercer sign with Division I schools

Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News Savannah Christian's Jalen Myrick celebrates with his dad, Glynn, after signing a letter of intent to play football for the University of Minnesota Wednesday afternoon at the Savannah Christian Gym.

Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning NewsJalen Myrick poses in the Savannah Christian locker room after signing a letter of intent to play football for the University of Minnesota Wednesday during National Signing Day.

Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News Jalen Myrick is surrounded by family as he signs a letter of intent to play football for the University of Minnesota Wednesday afternoon at Savannah Christian.

Photo by Dennis Knight, Savannah Morning News Calvary Day's Justin James signed to play football at Western Carolina on Feb. 6, 2013

Photo by Dennis Knight, Savannah Morning News Savannah Country Day quarterback Heys McMath signed to play football at Presbyterian on Feb. 6, 2013.

Photo by Dennis Knight, Savannah Morning News Jamari Ford (Left) and Alex Bryant of Windsor Forest signed to play football with Miles College and Benedict College respectively on Feb. 6, 2013

DeAnn Komanecky/Effingham Now Josh Mercer signed a letter of intent on Wednesday to play football at North Carolina State. The Mustang running back was joined at the signing at South Effingham High School by his father, Johnnie Mercer, brother, Jordan Mercer. His sister, Trinity Mercer and his mother, Lisa Mercer were also at the signing table with Mercer.

Two of the fastest high school football players in Georgia bolted into the big time Wednesday on national signing day.

South Effingham’s Josh Mercer signed his letter of intent to play at North Carolina State, and Savannah Christian’s Jalen Myrick inked his deal with Minnesota in ceremonies held at their respective campuses.

Myrick made a major impact in his career at SCPS, playing a key role in the Raiders’ run to the GHSA Class A title his junior season. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Myrick rarely left the field for the Raiders — playing cornerback and running back while serving as a dangerous kick returner.

“We recognized he had special abilities his freshman year,” SCPS coach Donald Chumley said. “But he worked hard to develop into the player he is today, and now he is reaping the benefits of his work. It’s taken a tremendous amount of dedication to get where he is today. I’m happy for him and his family and think Minnesota is getting a great player.”

Myrick was named the Region 3-A (East) Athlete of the Year for his all-purpose work for the Raiders this season. He ran for 651 yards, caught 21 passes for 470 yards and scored a team-high 12 touchdowns. Defensively, he had 64 tackles and a pair of interceptions. Myrick is expected to play cornerback at Minnesota.

“Playing here has helped me a lot,” said Myrick, who finished second in the Class A 100-meter state finals last year. “Coach Chumley taught me to play physical on every down. He helped me get in shape and play at a high level. This is my first step. Every football player dreams of having a chance to play in the NFL, and I feel like I have that chance.”

Another player with high aspirations is Mercer, who had another memorable season for the Mustangs. The speedy running back rushed for 1,479 yards and 27 touchdowns and caught 13 passes for 158 yards and two scores to earn Savannah Morning News Offensive Player of the Year honors.

Mercer, who finished third in the Class AAAA 100-meter state finals last year, had offers from a host of schools including Florida, South Carolina and Georgia Tech. He stayed with his commitment despite the fact that head coach Tom O’Brien left the Wolfpack to coach at Virginia. Dave Doeren took over at N.C. State, and retained Des Kitchings, the running backs coach who was recruiting Mercer.

“Coach Doeren wanted me, too, and he came to visit at my house and everything,” said the 5-11, 180-pound Mercer. “It feels great to sign. It’s like a sigh of relief. But it’s not over yet. I feel like I still haven’t made it yet. When I get to N.C. State, I need to keep working harder and harder.”

Mercer played a huge role in the Mustangs’ underdog run to the third round of the Class AAAA state playoffs this year, scoring seven touchdowns in the postseason.

“Josh has been a big part of our success here at South Effingham,” Mustangs coach Donnie Revell said. “He has worked hard in the weight room and to improve his vision on the field. And he has that God-given speed that is such a great asset. If he has any open field, he has a chance to take it all the way.”

Richmond Hill sends off two

Richmond Hill had a pair of high-profile signings in quarterback Dominique Allen, who will play next season at the U.S. Air Force Academy, and kicker Canon Rooker, who signed with Middle Tennessee State.

Allen, the Region 3-AAAAA Offensive Player of the Year, rushed for just under 900 yards and threw for more than 400 while leading the Wildcats to an 8-3 record and their first state playoff appearance since 1996. He committed last summer and was relieved to finally make things official.

“There’s a lot of pressure off now,” Allen said. “This is awesome because I don’t think we’ve ever had this many guys sign at one time. It definitely says a lot about our program. We’ve set the bar high for future teams here.”

Joining Allen among the NCAA D-I FBS ranks will be Rooker at Middle Tennessee State. He was nationally ranked among kickers by both scout.com (12th) and ESPN (27th). Taylor Hayes, a first-team all-region defensive tackle, will be joining Alabama State, an FCS school.

Cavs’ James to next level

Calvary Day’s Justin James was one of the area’s top offensive lineman, helping lead the Cavaliers’ high-scoring offense with his work in the trenches the past few seasons. James signed his letter of intent to play at Western Carolina. The 6-2, 280-pounder didn’t start playing football until the eighth grade. But he was a quick study who enjoyed doing the dirty work that defines his position.

“I love getting physical; as a lineman you get to beat up on people,” said James, who said an interception he nearly returned for a touchdown was one of his personal highlights. “Going to Calvary has helped me academically, and coach (Mark) Stroud really helped me with football. He made me want to be a coach someday.”

James plans to major in education and aspires to become a college football coach.

Presbyterian inks McMath

Savannah Country Day’s Heys McMath returned to Savannah from Virginia to star as the Hornets’ quarterback his senior year. McMath signed his letter of intent to play for Presbyterian, where he plans to major in business. He had received interest from schools such as North Carolina State, North Carolina and Furman.

“Presbyterian was the first to offer me and they were loyal through the whole process,” said McMath, who ran for 626 yards and 10 scores and threw for 1,644 yards and 10 touchdowns this year. “They run a spread offense, and I think I will have a chance to play right away. My senior year was a lot of fun. We struggled at times, but we had some big wins and it was great to be a part of this team.”

At Windsor Forest, two players who grew up playing together signed for teams that will compete against each other. Senior linebacker Alex Bryant signed to play with Benedict College, while Jamari Ford, who played a season at a prep school, signed to play with Miles College.

“It’s been a long journey, but it feels like a dream come true for me,” Ford said.

Bryant, who plans to major in environmental science, is looking forward to competing with his friend.

“Growing up, I always looked up to Jamari — I was always asking him what the play was,” Bryant said.

Also signing for Richmond Hill were offensive linemen Kendall Robinson and David Sneed, with Robinson signing to play at D-II Livingstone (N.C.) College, while Sneed inked a letter to join D-III LaGrange College.